Consider This... Recruit THEN Reward

LUBBOCK, TC (KCBD) - I support the Lubbock Police Department. I'm grateful they do a dangerous job and I sure do appreciate them showing up if I call 911.

According to numbers by the city manager's office, Lubbock police are the 6th best paid force in Texas. Not bad. I'd like to see them make it to the top three, but now is just not the right time. Although Lubbock is weathering the economy woes better than most, it's fair to say jobs are being lost, pay is being cut, and people in general are skeptical about the near future.

So consider this, let's take that 15 percent and use it to recruit a fully staffed police force. Our efforts to hire all the officers we need have not been working. I say let's think out of the box and recruit police from the three hardest hit states: Michigan, Florida and California.

Let's market our strengths of a wonderful community, low cost of leaving, and a police jobs starting at about $40,000 a year with incredible benefits. Then, when the timing is right, let's raise salaries to keep all of our hardworking police here in Lubbock long term.

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